Jaque Fourie hangs up his boots

Cape Town - Former Springbok centre Jaque Fourie has opted to retire from all forms of professional rugby.

Fourie, 33, confirmed his decision in an interview with Netwerk24, telling the Afrikaans website that he’d like to stay involved in the game as a defence coaching specialist.

Fourie played 72 Tests for the Springboks between 2003 and 2013, with his last Test coming against France in Paris in November 2013.

After that, he made himself unavailable for international rugby and fully committed himself to playing club rugby in Japan, where he first joined the Panasonic Wild Knights in 2011.

He played one season there before signing for the Kobe Kobelco Steelers. He played his last game for the Steelers earlier this month.

Fourie started his career at the Lions in 2003, before moving to the Stormers in 2010.

After Fourie made himself unavailable for the Boks, there were attempts from then-Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer to lure him back into the international fold.

He was to form part of the Boks’ plans in their build-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but those plans fell through.

Fourie scored 32 tries in a glittering Springbok career which saw him win a World Cup (2007), the Tri-Nations (2009), as well as beat the British and Irish Lions in a three-Test series (2009).